Thank you for all the reviews! I can't believe so many of you Galeniss fans are for Merrick. I never thought that would happen. I'm happy so many of you like him.

Don't worry, Galeniss won't be around forever and you know Merrick will be back at some point...I'm not telling when or where that will be in the story. Hope the Galeniss fans enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 29

The next day is very lonely. School is cancelled due to yesterday's events and Prim insists on helping our mother now that the danger is over with. I try to keep myself busy by completing chores for most of the day. By the time evening rolls around, I sit on the front porch in a rocking chair waiting for the arrival of my family.

The sun starts to set, creating a canvas of vibrant colors in the sky. I can't help but think of Peeta. I know how much he enjoyed the sunset. I quickly push him out of my mind, not wanting to get emotional, which always seems to happen when I think of him. Instead, I think of something more current. I think about yesterday and kiss between Gale and I; the kiss I initiated. As much as I wish I regretted it, I don't. I enjoyed it and can't help but feel a rush of pleasure when I think about our behavior in the woods. Pleasure is replaced with guilt when thoughts of Merrick fill my mind. I try my best to fight this feeling. He was the one that told me to move on and put the idea of being with Gale in my head. Surely, he couldn't be mad at me for my behavior. I'm sure he's doing the same in District 2.

I am brought back to the present with I see a shadowy figure walking towards me. The limited light makes it difficult to determine whom it is from so far away. I fix my eye on the person as they walk up the road, through my front gate, approaching me. I stand up in case I need to run. You never know who might be after you, especially as a victor. Halfway up the path, I can tell it's Gale, still dirty from the coalmines. He walks quickly, with intent and quickly climbs the stairs. He drops his equipment to the ground and before I can say anything his hands cup my face, and he leans down until his lips have met with mine. My lips react instantly, moving against his in perfect rhythm. A moan creeps up from the back of my throat and I can feel Gale's lips turn upward in a smile. He draws out the last few kisses before his lips part from mine. I open my eyes and find his sultry gaze on me.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that kiss all day." he admits.

"I was thinking about it too." I quietly admit.

"In a good way?" he asks. I nod, my cheeks ablaze from my confession. I decide to quickly change the conversation before I can reveal anything else.

"You're covered in coal dust." I say, gliding my index finger down his cheek.

"So are you." he says patting my cheek. I walk over to the window and see the coal smeared over both my cheeks from our kiss.

"Let's get you cleaned up. " I say, leading him towards the front door. He leaves his shoes by the door and peels off his external layers to avoid tracking the coal dust into my house. I tell him he doesn't have to but he insists, leaving him in an undershirt and underwear. I lead him through the guest bedroom to the bathroom. He hands me the last remnants of his clothing through the small crack in the doorway but closing it completely. I gather his clothes and throw them in the washing machine, wondering if this technology will remove the coal dust from them. I then go upstairs to locate something for him to wear while his clothes wash. The only things I can manage to find are a shirt and shorts that Merrick left here a while ago. Hopefully Gale won't refuse them.

I wait on the edge of the bed for Gale to exit the bathroom. When he does, he walks towards me with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"These are for you." I say, thrusting the pile of clothes towards him. Much to my relief he doesn't add any snarky comments. He accepts the clothes and walks over to the corner, knowing how uncomfortable nakedness makes me. I glance back at him and can't help but notice the scars on my back. Tears involuntarily stream down my face as I approach him. I move my hand over the scars, causing him to jump.

"Your back." I comment quietly.

"What did you expect, Katniss?" he asks. I don't have a response. While the ointment I used on him helped heal him, you can still see the thrash marks of the whip.

"How could anyone do this?" I whisper.

"Better you than me." he replies. He doesn't have to say any more for me to understand what he means. Usually I am the one to deliver the turkeys to Cray, knowing I'd get more for them because of my gender. If we hadn't been fighting, it would have been me shackled to the whipping post. He quickly puts on the shirt to hide his scars, obviously ashamed.

"It's not that bad." I murmur, wrapping my hands behind his neck.

"It's ugly." he answers back, his face twisted in discomfort.

"You're not ugly." I tell him, standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. "You're Gale Hawthorne; coveted by all the girls." I see a small smile creep up on his lips.

"There's only one that matters." he says, pressing his forehead to mine.

"Me?" I question.

"Yes, you." he says with a laugh. "It's always been you, Katniss. As long as I can remember."

"Even when you hated me?"

"I never hated you." he whispers.

"There were times you wouldn't even talk to me."

"I didn't hate you. I was angry, but I never hated you Catnip. I was jealous that you wanted to be with him. To be honest, I'm still trying to make sense of your recent affections for me."

"You remember that night I stayed here with you?" I ask him.

"Yes."

"And we kissed."

"I've tried to forget about that night." he admits.

"That night…after we kissed…I lied to you. I did feel something." I reluctantly confess.

"Why did you hide it?"

"What was I supposed to do? I was in love with someone else."

"So all that time, you had me believe that you felt nothing for me?" he says in anguish.

"Nothing good could have come with it."

"Yeah, not with him around." he says increasing the distance between us.

"Gale."

"I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest. Are you with me because you miss him?" he asks.

"No." I immediately say. "Gale I would never do that to you. He told me to move on and that's what I'm doing. Yesterday in the woods after the tornado, all I could think about how I shouldn't hide because I am afraid. It took me a lot to show you how I feel about you. I wasn't even sure if you still felt about me that way."

"How could I not?"

"You haven't shown it at all the past few months."

"And it's taken so much to repress any inclination that I feel that way. I knew you needed me to be a friend first so I took on that role."

"Doesn't sound like you."

"It was my mom who suggested it." he said with a sly smile.

"So what happens now?" I ask seriously.

"I want you to give me a chance…for us to be together." he tells me. I stand there silently with my head lowered, giving this some thought. Am I ready to be with someone new? And what if it doesn't work out? I can't afford anymore heartbreak. My heart is heavy as it is. I feel his finger brush under my chin, raising my head until our eyes meet.

"I'm not going anywhere, Katniss." he murmurs before giving me a solitary kiss on the lips. "We could be good for each other."

"And what if this doesn't work out?"

"You're getting way too far ahead of yourself." he says with a playful grin. "One day at a time, ok?"

"Ok." I agree. His mouth opens wide into a yawn that he tries to stifle. "Tired?"

"Yes. Today was a rough one." he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You should lay down for a little."

"Only if you stay with me." he utters.

"Ok." I reply, knowing it will make him happy. He leads me over to the bed and I climb in with him following me. We both make our way under the covers and wrap ourselves into each other's arms. As I lay entwined with him, I think about comfortable it feels to be near him. Maybe he's right about us. Maybe we were ultimately supposed to find our way to each other. I then release all thoughts from my mind, allowing myself to drift peacefully off to sleep.


Reviews are my favorite!